Agraria_Journal_WINTER_2022

AGRARIA JOURNAL 2022 7 team identified which current Tribal Nations were impacted by the stolen land that specifically founded The Ohio State University. Stepping Out & Stepping Up is the name of the Land Grant Truth and Reconciliation Project at OSU. Its purpose is to address issues related to Native land dispossession. Partners include the Newark Earthworks Center, First Nations Development Institute, and Initiative for Food and Agricultural Transformation. We compared the rates of food security and food production on today’s Tribal lands and reserves with the lands on Ohio State’s ledgers identified as foundational lands granted by the Morrill Act. Our analysis yielded, on average, 3% less food security and 27% less food production on Tribal lands and reserves compared to the lands granted to OSU’s foundation, from which the tribes were removed. This analysis was limited as it only compared agricultural rates in the present, disregarding how it compares prior to dispossession. Further, the metrics that are collected and calculated by the USDA are based on western science, measuring soil health and production potential in the context of large-scale and industrial agriculture. It does not account for traditional Indigenous ways of farming or gathering. Although our work is a way to further unfold this story of dispossession in the context of land grant universities and the state of Ohio, it only scratches the surface of all the other impacts that were experienced. Additional losses include population, cultural identity, traditional knowledge, language fluency (or in some cases language in its entirety), land area, land rights, and the sovereignty to self-govern on these lands. SO HOW CAN WE RESPOND AND ACT TODAY AS WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE HARM DONE IN THE PAST? Healing and reconciling between settler and Indigenous communities is not possible without proper understanding of the past and its impacts on the livelihoods of communities today. We need to shine light on stories like the history of land grant institutions, which are often buried and forgotten (usually intentionally). It is difficult to face these truths for both Indigenous communities and white-settler communities that have benefitted from these historical injustices. The University and the state of Ohio have a long process of reconciliation ahead of them, if they choose to acknowledge the injustices found within their ledgers and transactions. The public can play a role in building awareness of the “land-grab” history of Ohio State and other 1862 land-grant universities and in demanding accountability to Indigenous communities, especially in the context of the land grant mission. However, actions should not be limited to institutional responses. The land grant story offers a clear, consequential example of how Indigenous lands were stolen for a “public” good that explicitly excluded Native people. Addressing past and ongoing harms, supporting Indigenous strengths and resilience, and learning from Indigenous practices are three key areas where everyone can take action in response to this history. To address harms, farmers and landowners can work with urban and rural Indigenous communities to ensure that communities most impacted by food insecurity are not forgotten. Returning land to Indigenous stewardship, sharing resources, and offering opportunities for communities to access plant and animal relatives in the region are all ways to extend a hand towards reconciliation. To build on strengths, it’s important that action be done in partnership and community with the land’s original stewards, its Indigenous caretakers. Connect with urban Native community centers like NAICCO (Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio), continue this conversation with your non-Native friends and colleagues, and reach out to organizations, both local and national, that are working to address similar injustices. Finally, everyone can play their own role in reconnecting with the spirit of the land, practicing reciprocity, and promoting sustainable practices. Respectfully learning about and incorporating these core Indigenous practices can transform how we approach the land. Think about what you can offer to your relatives around you: human, non-human, those here today, and those to come. Build relationships with displaced and local Indigenous communities and actively listen. Be good neighbors. Take only what you need. Use everything that you take. Share what you have. And keep learning. There is no right way to begin the process of reconciliation, but we must take steps rooted in action as we continuously learn how to walk through this process together. Dr. Charles is Diné, a citizen of the Navajo Nation. He received his Ph.D. at The Ohio State University in chemical engineering and served as a post doctoral researcher at the OSU Newark Earthworks Center. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Cornell University in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering. Citations: 1 Lee, Robert, and Tristan Ahtone. "Land-grab universities: Expropriated Indigenous land is the foundation of the land-grant university system." High Country News 30 (2020). 2 Jernigan, Valarie Blue Bird, et al. "Food insecurity among American Indians and Alaska Natives: A national profile using the current population survey–food security supplement." Journal of hunger & environmental nutrition 12.1 (2017): 1-10. 3 Kaufman, Phillip, Chris Dicken, and Ryan Williams. Measuring access to healthful, affordable food in American Indian and Alaska Native tribal areas. No. 1476-2017-3886. 2014.